The invention relates to an authentication system using information on a position, and especially to an individual authentication system using information on a position, an authentication system using information on a position and a card, and a door lock system using information on a position and a personal identification number.
The several points at issues mentioned as follows are pointed out on the conventional authentication systems using a card.
A magnetic card can be forged easily.
It is not necessarily safe to judge that a card is used by the true owner of the card only form a signature.
In some cases that the amount of money for settlement of accounts is small, even the signature is unnecessary, and it is enough to pass the card through a card reader. If the card is used in such a way, there is no means for seeing through an unauthorized usage of the card. If inputting of a personal identification number (PIN) of the card is seen by a third person, there arises a possibility that the personal identification number will be leaked, and the safety of the system is not necessarily perfect.
If the number of figures of the personal identification number is increased, although security of the authentication system is heightened, facilities for the user are sharply deteriorated.
If a finger print authentication unit is introduced into the individual authentication system, a new apparatus must be set up, and the system becomes high priced.
In an invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Applications, Laid-Open, No. 10-56449, since information on the position is utilized to strengthen security and an portable instrument itself is authenticated, this invention is not related to the present invention directly. Since the position of the instrument is fixed, this invention is not suited for authenticating the instrument on a vehicle.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an authentication system using information on a position which heightens security of authentication and excludes an unauthorized access of a person other than the subject of authentication on the basis of a comparison between information on a position of an authenticator and that of the subject of authentication. It should be noted that the authentication system using information on the position includes an individual authentication system using information on a position, an authentication system using information on a position and a card, and a door lock system using information on a position and a personal identification number.
According to the first feature of the invention, an individual authentication system using information on a position comprises:
a means for detecting a position of a subject of authentication, and
an individual authentication unit, the individual authentication unit being composed of:
a means for detecting a position of the individual authentication unit,
a mean for authentication,
a means for establishing a method for authentication,
a means for judging a position,
an unauthorized usage-notification means,
a communication means, and
a subject of authentication-registering domain,
wherein the means for judging the position judges whether the subject of authentication is a legitimate one or not on a basis of a comparison between the position of the individual authentication unit detected by the means for detecting the position of the individual authentication unit and the position of the subject of authentication detected by the means for detecting the position of the subject of authentication, and
the judgement is confirmed by the means for authentication.
According to the aforementioned structure, since authentication is confirmed on the basis of a comparison between information on a position of the individual authentication system and that of the subject of authentication (the user), unauthorized access such as impersonation is excluded, and security of authentication can be heightened. It should be noted in the above description that the positions of the individual authentication system and the subject of authentication are detected by the respective position detecting means provided for them.
Since authentication is not restricted because the position of the subject of authentication is not fixed, and confirmed by a comparison between the position of the individual authentication system and that of the person to be authenticated, facilities for the user on a vehicle are not deteriorated, and the system can function anytime and anywhere.
The unauthorized usage-notification means may be a notification means using a voice signal transmitted by a cellular telephone of the user, which notifies him immediately that the card is used at a position remote from him or by a person other than him.
Moreover, the unauthorized usage-notification means may be a notification means using an electronic mail transmitted by the cellular telephone of the user, which notifies him immediately that his card is used at a position remote for him or by a person other than him.
According to the second feature of the invention, an authentication system using information on a position and a card, comprises;
a card reader having its inherent identification information,
a ten key for authenticating a user on a basis of his personal identification number,
a authentication unit of a card company,
a card reader data base,
a card user data base,
a position-acquiring unit of an enterprise of a cellular telephone, and.
the cellular telephone,
wherein the authentication unit of the card company is provided with a means for calculating information on a position of the card reader on a basis of the card reader identification information and the card reader data base storing the card reader identification informations and situations of the card readers, and a means for searching for a telephone number of the cellular telephone of a card user from the card user data base,
the position-acquiring unit of the enterprise of the cellular telephone is provided with a means for acquiring information on a position of the cellular telephone on a basis of the telephone number of the cellular telephone, and
the authentication unit of the card company is provided with a means for judging whether the card user is a true owner of the card or not on a basis of a comparison between the position of the card reader and that of the cellular telephone of the card user.
Accordingly, since authentication is confirmed by information on the position, the owner of the card can prevent his card from being used by an unauthorized person such as an impersonator, even when he loses his card.
According to the third feature of the invention, a door lock system using information on a position and a perennial identification number, comprises:
a door-locking unit,
a position acquiring unit of an enterprise of a cellular telephone, and
the cellular telephone,
the door-locking unit being composed of:
a first memory domain for storing information on a user,
an external communication means,
a second memory domain for storing information on a position of the door-locking unit,
a means for verifying a personal identification number and the position of the cellular telephone.
a locking means, and
a personal identification number-inputting means,
wherein the door-locking unit acquires information on the position of the cellular telephone of a user derived from the position-acquiring unit of the enterprise of the cellular telephone when the personal identification number is inputted, compares the acquired information on the position of the cellular telephone with the information on the position of the door-locking unit stored in second memory domain, further compares the personal identification number inputted through the personal identification number-inputting means with that stored in the first memory domain, and judges whether the personal identification number is correct or not, and whether the personal identification number is inputted by the user himself or not in the means for verifying the personal identification number and the position of the cellular telephone.
Accordingly, it is sufficient that the user carries that cellular telephone usually used with him, and security of the authentication system is heightened without being deteriorated in facilities for the user.
The cellular telephone may be provided with a means for rejecting a requirement that the position-acquiring unit is notified of the position of the cellular telephone in accordance with an instruction of the user.
The means for acquiring information on the position of the cellular telephone may be a position-detecting means connected with the cellular telephone.
The means for acquiring information on the position of the cellular telephone may be a means for calculating the position of the cellular telephone on the basis of field intensities of electric waves radiated from one or more base stations.